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Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep

Gail Carson Levine

HarperCollins, 1999

ISBN 0-06-028065-4

n/a

Stared Feb 28/finished Feb 28 (emu)

Review, by emu: The third in Levine's Princess Tales series, this one is obviously a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This gives a sarcastic view on what happened... all of the fairies' well-meaning gifts are probably worse than the one who cursed the girl, at least to people who know her. The gift of great intelligence caused the girl to grow up far too fast and annoy everyone with her constant explinations and logic, and her well-meant ideas to improve castle life. She knows of her curse, and so decides she's never going to sleep since she'll end up sleeping for a hundred years eventually anyhow. She also decides, though, that she'd rather have a choice in when the curse takes effect and so hides a spindle in her wardrobe for when she decides it's time. Of course, things don't go as planned. She's nearly decided she wants to sleep when she's betrothed to an incredibly boring prince, but her mother finds the spindle and after the two collide in the hallway, it's not Sonora's choice anymore. Years pass, and the kingdom Sonora belongs to is eventually annexed by a neighboring kingdom (as everyone in the castle is asleep, and surrounded by a high hedge of thorns) and a prince is born who is curious about everything and keeps asking questions no one has the answer to. He would be a perfect match for Sonora, as she keeps answering questions no one's asked... but no one knows who Princess Sonora is. Her name only lives on in a popular expression... "Princess Sonora knows... but don't ask her." Of course, this new prince is dying to know who she is, especially if she can answer his questions, and by chance he meets a shepherd whose family lives near Sonora's castle and has a variation on this saying... "Princess Sonora knows, but don't ask her, because she's asleep." And you can probably figure out where things go from there. I think I liked this one best of all the Princess Tales so far. It's probably the most clever. Again, recommended.

Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep	Gail Carson Levine
HarperCollins, 1999	ISBN 0-06-028065-4
n/a	Stared Feb 28/finished Feb 28 (emu)
Review, by emu: The third in Levine's Princess Tales series, this one is obviously a retelling of Sleeping Beauty. This gives a sarcastic view on what happened... all of the fairies' well-meaning gifts are probably worse than the one who cursed the girl, at least to people who know her. The gift of great intelligence caused the girl to grow up far too fast and annoy everyone with her constant explinations and logic, and her well-meant ideas to improve castle life. She knows of her curse, and so decides she's never going to sleep since she'll end up sleeping for a hundred years eventually anyhow. She also decides, though, that she'd rather have a choice in when the curse takes effect and so hides a spindle in her wardrobe for when she decides it's time. Of course, things don't go as planned. She's nearly decided she wants to sleep when she's betrothed to an incredibly boring prince, but her mother finds the spindle and after the two collide in the hallway, it's not Sonora's choice anymore. Years pass, and the kingdom Sonora belongs to is eventually annexed by a neighboring kingdom (as everyone in the castle is asleep, and surrounded by a high hedge of thorns) and a prince is born who is curious about everything and keeps asking questions no one has the answer to. He would be a perfect match for Sonora, as she keeps answering questions no one's asked... but no one knows who Princess Sonora is. Her name only lives on in a popular expression... "Princess Sonora knows... but don't ask her." Of course, this new prince is dying to know who she is, especially if she can answer his questions, and by chance he meets a shepherd whose family lives near Sonora's castle and has a variation on this saying... "Princess Sonora knows, but don't ask her, because she's asleep." And you can probably figure out where things go from there. I think I liked this one best of all the Princess Tales so far. It's probably the most clever. Again, recommended.